Helen Fisher Why We Love Summary

In the book why we love, author Helen Fisher attempts to understand the idea behind the human romantic love by studying the mating behavior of animals. Thus, she firmly believes that romantic love is a phenomenon arising from ‘human nature’. Which shows itself in the different forms in the animal kingdom. The book begins by presenting the results of a scientific study in which Fisher scanned the brains of people who had just fallen madly in love. She proves, at last, what researchers had only suspected: that when you fall in love, primordial areas of the brain "light up" with increased blood flow, creating romantic passion. Fisher uses this new research to show exactly what you experience when you fall in love, why you choose one person rather than another, and how romantic love affects your sex drive and your feelings of attachment to a partner. She argues that all animals feel romantic attraction, that love at first sight comes out of nature, and that human romance evolved for crucial reasons of survival. Lastly, she offers concrete suggestions on how to control this ancient passion, and she optimistically explores the future of romantic love in our chaotic modern world.
In the first few chapters of why we love, Fisher
Fisher reminds the reader that such studies do not indicate that these behaviors are cross-cultural since they were only conducted in the United States. She does, however, claim that there is “evidence to suggest that some of these patterns are universal to humankind” (Why we love,29). There are also several examples of body synchrony in particular that are cross-cultural and that are displayed not as a means to attract a sexual partner but also as a sign of familiarity and comfort between